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    30 June 1991, Volume 3 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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    REVIEW ON THE GEOTECTONIC DIVISION AND GONDWANA MOVEMENT, ANTARCTICA
    1991, 3 (2):  1-9. 
    Abstract ( 1628 )   PDF (302KB) ( 1937 )  

    Based on the results of former researchers, this paper summerized the Gondwana movement and the tectonic settings, evolution of Antarctica and suggested the main problems and trends of the geological research on Antarctica.

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    THE VOLCANIC GEOLOGY, PETROLOGICAL CHARACTERIST-ICS AND THE FORMATION AND EVOLUTION OF THE TERTIARY VOLCANIC ROCKS FROM THE GREAT WALL STATION AREA,KING GEORGE ISLAND, WEST ANTARCTICA
    1991, 3 (2):  10-108. 
    Abstract ( 1885 )   PDF (2712KB) ( 2093 )  

    This paper deals systematicaly with the volcanic geology, the petrological characteristics and the formation and evolution of the Tertiary volcanic rocks from the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, West Antarctica, in basis of the great amount of feild investigations and laboratory works by Chinese geologists since 1984, when the Great Wall Station had been build up. The Tertiary volcanic rocks in Fildes Peninsula has been subdevided into 2 litho-stratigraphic formations, the Great Wall Formation and the Fossil Formation, and 4 members by authors considering the geological, isotope chronological and petrological evidences. The Great Wall Formation (GWF) including Jasper Hill Member (JM) and Agate Beach Member (AM) consists of mainly lavas and breccias. At the lower part of the JHM some agglomerates have been found that shows the beginning of the first stage of the volcanic activity. The Fossil Formation (FF) composes of two members also. The Fossil Hill Member (FM) is of tuffaceous sandstone, conglomerate, plant-bearing tuffaceous, siltstone and tuffaceous mudstone. The upper member of FF is Block Hill Member (BM) with agglomerate, breccia and some lavas. The following facts can be considered as the evidences to subdivided the Tertiary volcanic strata in Fildes Peninsula. 1. The unconformity between the strata of AM and that of FM shows that there was a long time break of the volcanic activities in the peninsula. 2. The plant fossils found in tuffaceous siltstone of FM indicate that the eruptive gap between AM and FM persisted a long period. 3. The results of researches on plant fossils, spores and pollens fully prove that FM was formed in early Tertiary, most probablely in Eocene to Oligocene. 4. The isotope chronological data basically suggested that the volcanic rocks on the Fildes peninsula as a whole to be Tertiary. However, the age ranges of GWF are Paleocene to Oligocene and the FF from Eocene to the early Miocene. The eruptive centers in the peninsula were gradually migrating from the western coast to the eastern and the subvolcanic intrusives were regularly distributed along a series of NWW-SEE trending faults. All of these were formed in two stages of volcanic activities from Paleocene to Eocene, perhaps to the early Miocene. The rocks on the peninsula are mainly high-Al basalt and basaitic andesite, as well as andesit and dacite. The plagioclase phenocrystals of high-Al basalt and basaltic andesite lava have a component rather basic. The positive and cyclothemic zonal structure is well developed, and the An content in the central part of plagioclase phenocrystals is almost over 80% and decreases towards the matrix. The porphyritic plagioclascs of andesite and dacite are mainly labrador to andesine. The clinopyroxene in rocks are mainly augite, only a few diopside and Mg-diopside. The compositions of the rare or-thopyroxene in rocks vary from bronzite in basalt and basaltic andcsite to augite brozite in subvolcanic rocks. The olivines are almost iddingsited, which are classified to Mg-lich chrysolite. The rock association, basalte, basaltic andesite, andesite and dacite belonges to a calc-alkaline series and are the typical products of island-arc volcanism. The rocks are chemically richer in CaO(>7 wt%)and A12O3 (usually over 17wt%)contents. The lower K2O content and K2O/Na2O ratio, the higher total FeO comparing with typical calc-alcaline basalt, however, indicate that they have some tholeiitic characteristics. Considering the rock association as whole we can found the MgO, CaO and Al2O3 contents decreasing and K2O content and K2O/Na2O ratio obviously increasing with increasing SiO2 concentraction. The sharp depletion of transitional metal elements, Cr and Ni, in basalts shows a fractional effect. The decreasing plagioclase phenocrysts and Cr, V concentrasion, the unchangible cotent of Ni, and the decreasing of Ba, Sr relative concentration from basaltic to dacitic rocks indicate that the evolution of this rock association has been mainly controled by the fractional of plagioclase and clin

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    THE VOLCANIC GEOLOGY AND THE PETROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STANSBURY PENINSULA,NELSON ISLAND, WEST ANTARCTICA
    1991, 3 (2):  109-125. 
    Abstract ( 1900 )   PDF (1067KB) ( 1235 )  

    The Stansbury Peninsula of the Nelson Island, a neighbor of Fildes Peninsula, on which the Chinese Great Wall Station is located, is covered with basaltic, basalt-andesi-tic lavas and breccias as well as fossiliferous volcanic-sedimentary clastic rocks. Based on the stratigraphical relationship and the rock's association the author considers that the stratigraphical division of volcanic rocks on Stansbury Penins ula is much similar to that in Fildes Peninsula. The volcanic rocks and volcanic-sedimentary clastic rocks are the products of two stages of volcanism and can be stratigraphically subdivided into three members. The breccias, interbedding basaltic, basaltandesitic lavas and breccias formed successively, which are comparable with that of Jasper Hill plus Agate Beach Members in Fildes Peninsula. Before the end of this stage some subvolcanic intrusives appeared. The flira-bear-ing volcanic sedimentary clastic rocks belonging to Fossil Hill Member as found on Fildes Peninsula represent a long time break of volcanic activities on the peninsula. A lots of agglomeratic lavas and breccia on the volcanic sediments near the east coast of peninsula are comparable with those of Block Hill Member on the Great Wall Station area and showes that the centre of volcanic activities of the second stage had migrated eastwards. The similar development of volcanic strata and the discovery of plant fossils provided an evidence for such a suggestion that the volcanic rocks on Stansbury Peninsula and on Fildes Peninsula resulted from the same regional volcanism in the Early Tertiary. The faults on the peninsula parallel to the Fildes Strait Fault are the main structure and control the distribution of subvolcanic intrusives in the Peninsula. The petrological characteristics of the volcanic rocks from the Stansbury Peninsula suggest that the lavas and subvolcanic intrusives are basicaly basaltic and basalt andesi-tic. The phenocrystals of rocks include plagioclase and clinopyroxene. The Al2O3, CaO,MgO and tatol iron contents of the chemical compositions of rocks gradualy decrease and the alkali increase with the decreasing SiO2 from basaltic through basalt an-desitic to andesitic rocks. The petrochemical evoluting trend of rocks is similar to that from the Fildes Peninsula, that is, belongs to the clac-alkaline series with some high-Als and low-K features. Rare Eaith Element and other Trace Element concentration and chondrite-normalized patterns show that the volcanic rock association is probably resulted from the same magma sourse and the similar fractional crystallization of plagio-clase and pyroxene as discussed on the volcanic rock from the Fildes Peninsula.

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    THE ISOTOPE AGE OF THE VOLCANIC ROCKS AND THE CORRELATION OF STRATIGRAPHY IN THE FILDES PENINSULA, KING GEORGE ISLAND, WEST ANTARCTICA
    1991, 3 (2):  126-135. 
    Abstract ( 1881 )   PDF (287KB) ( 1307 )  

    The ages of volcanic rocks from the Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, West Antarctica have been determined with K-Ar, 39Ar-40Ar, Rb-Sr methods by authors. The results show that: a. the age range of the volcanism in the Fildes Peninsula is from Later Paleocene to Early Mid-Miocene; b. the forming time of the volcanic rocks of Jasper Hill Member belonges to Later Paleocene because of the isotope ages being 54Ma and 55Ma determined with Rb-Sr and 39Ar - 40Ar, respectively; c. the volcanic rocks of Agate Beach Member are the products of the volcanic activities during Early Eocene period according to the isochron of K-Ar method (45-50 Ma); d. the geological age for Fossil Hill Member is about from Mid - Eocene to Early Oligocene, and e. the time formed the Block Hill Member lasts Early Mid - Miocene, probabley. These data combining with the geological and palaeozoological evidences have presented strong support for best understanduing the correlation of the stratigraphy and, discussing the volcanism in studied area.

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    1991, 3 (2):  136-143. 
    Abstract ( 2096 )   PDF (213KB) ( 1322 )  
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